<p>Though Seattle might just now be getting over its collective post-Super Bowl hangover, it’s already time to think about next year’s Seahawks squad. One thing is for certain: Some players from the best team in franchise history won’t be coming back. With top players like cornerback Richard Sherman and safety Earl Thomas entering the last year of their contracts, GM John Schneider (above) needs to free up money under the NFL salary cap to offer long-term extensions.</p>
<p>So which Seahawks will be sent packing after the first Super Bowl-winning season in team history? We picked the Hawks most likely to get their walking papers. Click through the gallery to see them all, and give us your opinion in the comments section below.</p> less

<p>Though Seattle might just now be getting over its collective post-Super Bowl hangover, it’s already time to think about next year’s Seahawks squad. One thing is for certain: Some players from the best ... more

Photo: Elaine Thompson / ASSOCIATED PRESS

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<p><b>WR Sidney Rice</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience:</b> Seven years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $7.3 million</p>
<p>It took a five-year, $41 million deal to lure Rice from Minnesota prior to the 2011 season – the Hawks’ first major venture into free agency under Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll – and while Rice has had a nice run in Seattle, it certainly hasn’t lived up to the blockbuster contract. His best season came in 2012, when he caught 50 passes for 748 yards and 7 touchdowns, and he missed the second half of the 2013 season with a torn ACL.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b> With younger receiving options and money needed to resign unrestricted free agent Golden Tate, Rice is as good as gone.</p> less

<p><b>DE Chris Clemons</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Nine years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $7.5 million</p>
<p>Schneider and Carroll acquired Clemons via trade prior to their first season in Seattle, and he paid immediate dividends, racking up 33.5 sacks in his first three years for the Seahawks. That led to a three-year, $22 million contract in 2012. After suffering a torn ACL in a playoff win at Washington that year, Clemons worked hard to get back into the Hawks rotation in 2013. He finished the season with just 4.5 sacks, but played by far his best game of the season in Super Bowl XLVIII.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b>With Cliff Avril firmly entrenched at one end, cutting Clemons would free up money to throw at unrestricted free agent Michael Bennett. If they can’t get Bennett, expect the Hawks to try and bring Clemons back at a lower price.</p> less

<p><b>DE Red Bryant</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Six years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $5.5 million</p>
<p>One of the longest-tenured Seahawks – along with defensive tackle Brandon Mebane – Bryant has been a consistent presence on the team’s defensive front since joining the squad in 2008. He signed a five-year, $35 million contract to stay in Seattle prior to the 2012 season. Bryant is unique in that he’s basically a tackle (listed at 6-foot-5 and 326 pounds) playing at end, charged with stopping the opposition’s run game – a job he performed particularly well last season.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b>There isn’t anyone on the roster who can do the job Bryant does – at least not right now –but if the Hawks really want to go after Bennett, they may try to cut spending elsewhere along the line.</p> less

<p><b>TE Zach Miller</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Seven years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $5 million</p>
<p>Miller signed a five-year, $34 million deal with Seattle prior to the 2011 season after four years in Oakland. He’s been a solid contributor in the passing game, catching 96 passes for 1,016 yards and 8 scores, but his real value lies in his run-blocking ability. Marshawn Lynch has rushed for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns in each of Miller’s three seasons with the Hawks.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b>The Seahawks don’t have another run-blocking tight end on the roster, but Miller’s cap number might be large enough for them to cut ties and look for a cheaper option.</p> less

<p><b>LB Heath Farwell</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Eight years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $1.5 million</p>
<p>A special teams standout and team captain, Farwell has been a team leader since signing in the middle of the 2011 season. But at 32, he’s on the downside of his career and making more money than any other member of the Seahawks deep – and young – linebacker corps as a part-time player.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b>Cutting Farwell won’t save a lot of money, but in today’s NFL, every little bit counts. There are younger options on the roster who can take his position.</p> less

<p><b>LB Heath Farwell</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Eight years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $1.5 million</p>
<p>A special teams standout and team captain, Farwell has been a team leader since ... more

Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images

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<p><b>G James Carpenter</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Three years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $1.4 million</p>
<p>Schneider took Carpenter in the first round of the 2011 draft to be the Seahawks right tackle of the future, but injuries derailed his first two seasons and necessitated a move inside. Last season, he split time with veteran Paul McQuistan and undrafted rookie Michael Bowie at left guard, but struggled mightily at times, particularly in run blocking.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b>The Hawks like youngsters Bowie and Alvin Bailey, and cutting Carpenter may give the team a chance to figure out if either of them is the answer at left guard. But Carpenter played better down the stretch and probably will stick around for one more year.</p> less

<p><b>G James Carpenter</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Three years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $1.4 million</p>
<p>Schneider took Carpenter in the first round of the 2011 draft to be the ... more

Photo: Mike Stobe / Getty Images

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<p><b>T Russell Okung</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Four years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $6.68 million</p>
<p>Schneider’s first draft pick as GM, Okung has been the cornerstone of the Hawks’ offense since his arrival in 2010. When he’s in the lineup, Okung has often been excellent, but he’s missed a lot of time with various injuries, playing in only 70 percent of regular-season games since he joined the team. 2013 was by far the worst season of his career, as he played in just eight games and struggled uncharacteristically when he was in the lineup.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b>Okung’s struggles this season can be chalked up to injuries, but it wouldn’t be a complete shock for the Seahawks to look to shed his salary and save themselves $11 million over the next two seasons. Then again, Pro-Bowl caliber left tackles don’t exactly grow on trees. Renegotiating his deal is another possibility.</p> less

<p><b>RB Marshawn Lynch</p></b>
<p><b>NFL experience: </b>Seven years</p>
<p><b>Potential cap savings:</b> $4 million</p>
<p>One of the shrewdest moves Schneider and Carroll made was acquiring the talented but troubled Lynch from Buffalo in exchange for draft picks four games into the 2010 season. In three-plus years with Seattle Lynch has established himself as one of the best running backs in the league, and his “Beast Mode” persona has given the team an identity on offense.</p>
<p><b>Verdict:</b> Given the short shelf life of NFL running backs, Lynch shouldn’t be around too much longer. Don’t expect “Beast Mode” to go anywhere this offseason, but with his cap number rising to $9 million in 2015 and young players like Robert Turbin and Christine Michael waiting in the wings, it could be his last run in the Emerald City.</p> less

<p>In addition to cutting players already under contract, the team won’t bring back all of the more than a dozen players whose contracts expired at the close of the 2013 season. The ones we feel most confident won’t be back include:</p>
<p>FB Michael Robinson</p>
<p>G Paul McQuistan</p>
<p>CB Brandon Browner</p> less

<p>In addition to cutting players already under contract, the team won’t bring back all of the more than a dozen players whose contracts expired at the close of the 2013 season. The ones we feel most ... more